Rhaea Stinn taking Moose Jaw power to the world stage in Chengdu

When Rhaea Stinn steps onto the lifting platform at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, she’ll be representing more than her own legacy. For two decades, Stinn has been a cornerstone of Canadian powerlifting — a decorated athlete, mentor, and builder of the strength community in Moose Jaw, in Saskatchewan, and across the country.

Stinn’s record speaks for itself. She is a five-time IPF World Open Equipped Champion, a multiple bench press world-record holder, and the 2022 World Games gold medallist in the women’s super-heavyweight class. At the last World Games in Birmingham, she set a competition record with a 227-kilogram bench press on the way to a 697-kilogram total. Her career totals include 12 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals on the world stage, and she was inducted into the IPF Hall of Fame in 2021.

Her achievements are matched by her influence off the platform. Together with her husband, fellow international competitor and high-ranking Canadian coach Ryan Stinn, she runs Inner Strength Products, a national supplier for strength athletes that doubles as a hub for local training and mentorship. The Stinns’ guidance has helped lifters from Moose Jaw and across Saskatchewan reach national and international competition, from Commonwealth Championships to IPF Worlds. Ryan himself is an accomplished equipped lifter with multiple world-level appearances, a bench press best exceeding 300 kilograms, and service as CPU president and IPF referee.

Stinn’s path to Chengdu was secured with another national title at the 2025 CPU Nationals (held in Moose Jaw in February), where she totalled 610 kilograms in a tune-up meet that proved her readiness for the Games. But the World Games is no ordinary competition — it’s the most selective stage in powerlifting, held only every four years and featuring the top lifters in the world by invitation. The field is small, the judging exacting, and the pressure immense.

For Moose Jaw, Stinn’s appearance is more than an athletic milestone. It’s the latest chapter in a story that has seen a small Prairie city produce lifters who can compete with — and beat — the strongest in the world.

How to watch

Fans can follow Stinn’s results live through the Olympic Channel and the World Games official website, or via the IPF YouTube channel.